Self-closing hinges customarily include door and frame members mountable on a door and frame, respectively, and interconnected by a hinge pin. Spring means are carried by the door member of the hinge and act against part of the frame member of the hinge. After the door has been swung a predetermined distance from its open position toward its closed position, the spring means cause the door to swing the rest of the way closed and resiliently hold the door in its closed position.
More specifically, the invention relates to a concealed self-closing hinge of the same general type as disclosed in DeBruyn U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,622 and Bowers U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,474. In such hinges, the door member is, for the most part, formed by a cup which is adapted to nest within a pocket formed in the inner side of the door. The hinge pin is supported by the cup and is connected to the frame member of the hinge in such a manner that, when the door is fully closed, virtually all parts of the hinge are concealed from view from the front of the cabinet.
In the hinge of the Bowers patent, the frame member and the hinge pin may be assembled with the door member simply by slipping the hinge pin into slots in the cup of the door member. A leaf spring is used to advantage not only to effect the self-closing action but also to hold the hinge pin in assembled relation with the cup. A plastic cam is supported on the hinge pin and coacts with the leaf spring to effect the self-closing action without producing significant wear between the cam and the spring. The plastic cam is located between two lugs of a clevis which receives the hinge pin.
While the hinge disclosed in the Bowers patent functions admirably and has experienced significant commercial success, it is time-consuming, and thus costly, to manufacture the hinge pin, to insert the plastic cam between the two lugs of the clevis and to insert the hinge pin through holes in the clevis and the cam.